NCAA Football 14

Although it may not look particularly different from its predecessors on the surface, nor include any groundbreaking, never-before-seen modes, NCAA 14 hits a ton of high notes and marks a great start to the upcoming fall sports game blitz.

This is the best version of the series since NCAA 06. And even though I think annual releases of sports games are, well, useless with the possibility of just downloading roster updates, this is well worth $60 and can't be missed by NCAA fans.

When you compare NCAA Football 14 with last year’s game there is no question the franchise has moved forward in the right direction. The enhanced running game, new physics driven animations, and the re-engineered spread and read option game make for an unparalleled NCAA football experience.

The Infinity Engine 2 has taken the NCAA Football gameplay to a new level of realism, and with the improvements to the Dynasty mode, even the lack of depth that Ultimate Team suffers from can't hinder the fact that this is arguably the best title in the franchise series.

Those simply looking for a solid game of collegiate football should ignore all that, however, as NCAA Football 14 offers the same quality the series has been known for this generation with some great tweaks and implementations added. Madden 25 will likely take the crown for the best game of football this year, but those who make NCAA Football a yearly tradition have no reason not to add this solid addition to their collection.

NCAA Football 2014 feels like the culmination of a long-in-development college football gaming experience. Tiburon has gradually fixed sloppy mechanics that have long plagued the series and streamlined the behind-the-scenes modes. It's no surprise given recent uneven releases, but NCAA Football 14 is the best, most polished entry yet in the series.

On a year-to-year basis, 14 grows more than it maintains, even if it stands in shadow of the looming EA Sports Ignite engine.

NCAA Football 14 feels like a great culmination of all the NCAA Football titles this generation. The new engine fixes a lot of the weird problems that occurred in the past few games and allows the running game to take center stage.

Even with these positives, and a better-late-than-never addition of the Ultimate Team mode, NCAA Football 14 is not a game that shows a series playing at its peak as a console generation ends.

In short, I didn’t expect to enjoy NCAA Football 14 nearly as much as I did. Sure, it has flaws, but it is easily one of the most enjoyable sports games on the market. You may not see too much of a change from last year’s title if you’re a faithful, yearly customer, but if you have been away from the football scene for a while and are thinking of jumping back into it, this may be the perfect time to do it.

This year, NCAA’s lack of novelty is more evident. Yeah, it now has Infinity Engine physics — which Madden NFL got last year — and Ultimate Team — which FIFA has had for a while. It does play a better game of college football, however, and that’s important. But ultimately, NCAA Football 14 is like your friend who showed up to the first class of the fall semester with the same haircut, shirt, and summer story to tell. Maybe he lost a few pounds, and you’re happy to see him, but he hasn’t really changed.

EA Sports has removed some modes and features this year (like Heisman Challenge) while others return or debut, but ultimately, the end experience feels about the same. As expected, NCAA Football 14 is an entertaining game of college ball, but rarely much more than that.

There’s a good football game here, but it’s far from an impressive package.

As a whole, NCAA Football 14 is boom-or-bust; with all of its big gains this year, it missed some opportunities to be truly excellent.

As it stands NCAA Football 14 is enough to get by, but not enough to revolutionize the series.

What it does is present a complete package that lacks very little for football fans and NCAA Football fans alike, and for many that may just be enough to satisfy the hungry crowd.